23 Chilean Students Begin Visit to U.S.

By Maliha Adams (September 13, 2004)

(Lasso Online reporter Maliha Adams attended yesterday’s picnic welcoming 23 students and three teachers from Chile who are visiting our school for the next two weeks. Our Chilean friends will be staying with their host families whose students visited Chile last spring.)

"Hola!" exclaimed Alvaro Phillipi (16) pulling me into a hug and "besito" on the cheek as we greeted each other. I turned around and was pulled into yet another warm hello by his friend Sebastian Rodriguez (17). Both boys had just finished playing a game of soccer, spoke impeccable English and seemed just like two American teens enjoying a Sunday afternoon, but their Chilean accent gave them away. Sharing a love for about every sport, they jokingly reveal to me that they don’t quite understand the point of American football. "All that running and then falling down! Why?" joins in Esteban (15) with a grin on his face. As I concluded the interview and thanked them for their time, I approached another group of students excitedly chatting in Spanish and once again was received with more hugs and kisses.

For the next two weeks, George Mason High School will have the privilege of hosting 23 of these exuberant students, who have traveled all the way from their exclusive private school in Santiago, Chile. Starting on the Monday until their final day on September 24, their schedule will be jam-packed. The students will begin the week by coming to school for a sample of American High school classes. Excursions to Washington D.C., Luray Caverns and a visit to Mt. Vernon will take place during the rest of the week which will conclude with a grounds party, football game and dance on campus. Two days of relaxation with their host families follow as they rest up for another eventful week. More trips begin on Monday, September 20, which include another trip to D.C. along with a stop in Old Town Alexandria, but the true highlight will be their musical performance they have been preparing.

Senior Andrew Roller, left, and Chilean student, Mandy Rivera, right, exchange a few private greetings amidst the lively barbecue. Andrew’s parents graciously hosted a welcome picnic for the 23 exchange students from Chile, on Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Maliha Adams)

With such an eventful week ahead of them and even after 15 hours of traveling, there was scarcely a hint of fatigue among the students. All seemed to be enjoying the mild whether and were quickly making friends. When asked what they had anticipated an American high school to be like, Catalina Espinosa (14) revealed to me that she was expecting a school more similar to something out of the movie Clueless.   "Your school is so big [and] all the students are very nice" added Mandy Rivera (15) who is part of a competitive cheerleading squad at her school. All three of them love the band Franz Ferdinand and the show Viva la Bam. "Oh yeah, and we like to watch Friends too" said Esteban. "Oh my god, oh my god!" added Catalina, mimicking Phoebe as all of us laughed. Most Chilean teenagers enjoy going to the movies and parties on the weekend or escaping to the beach, preferably Viňa or Algarrobo during a holiday and of course, the occasional trip overseas. "People are very nice here…I like the trees, everything is so green, not gray [like] in Chile" said Esteban, "We are happy to be here".